


The Toothpaste

by things_that_matter



Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [51]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Brothers, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Intimacy, M/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:49:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29842467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/things_that_matter/pseuds/things_that_matter
Summary: There’s something strange about Ollie’s new toothpaste.
Relationships: Oliver/Elio Perlman
Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [51]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094873
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	The Toothpaste

Oliver couldn’t help but smile when he saw Elio pacing back and forth across the living room. Elio glimpsed him smiling, and Oliver did his best to banish it, unwilling to make Elio more upset. But Elio wasn’t angry. He returned the smile with his own weaker one. 

“Come sit,” Oliver said, patting the space beside him on the sofa.

“Not right now,” he muttered, walking over to look out the window again. 

“Elio…” Oliver mildly chided. 

“What? How are you so… so… calm?!” Elio wanted to know. He was anything but calm himself. 

“Because he’s fine. Because he’s playing with a kid one block over, and he’s not even  _ late. _ Let’s make a rule that…” 

Elio’s brows knitted together immediately, “You don’t get to make rules for me.” 

Oliver set down the newspaper he was looking at, rose, and walked over to embrace Elio. “I would not make rules for you, Elio. Not actual rules. I was only going to suggest that we try to refrain from worrying about him until he’s actually late.” 

Elio’s eyes widened. “So you  _ do _ think he will be late?” Elio asked anxiously. 

Oliver laughed and tightened his hold on him. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

Ollie had been playing with his new friend Joey after school each day. Typically, Oliver was the only adult home during this ‘play hour’ as Ollie referred to it. Today, though, Elio had stayed home with a headache and repeated nosebleeds. Oliver found it both comical and concerning, the level of worry and anxiety that Elio experienced regarding Ollie. It had taken the sustained efforts of both Ollie and Oliver to convince Elio that Ollie should be allowed to play at Joey’s. And today, he had fretted the entire hour.

Elio rested his forehead against Oliver’s chest with a slight thump, and then felt Oliver’s hand on the back of his head and was comforted. “Is your head feeling better?” Oliver asked him.

“Somewhat,” he answered, and closed his eyes as Oliver kissed his head softly. 

As it so often did when they touched, even at the most seemingly inappropriate or inconvenient times, a desire rose in each of them. Oliver drew a deep breath, and Elio’s breathing grew shaky. 

Just then, the front door flew open, and hurricane Ollie made landfall. Oliver shook his head and Elio smiled as they heard the door slam shut followed by a slight squawk from the table as Ollie accidentally moved it an inch or two across the tile as he struggled to remove his shoes while still standing, as both Oliver and Elio could do. Ollie found it quite irksome that he was the only family member who had to sit on the floor to accomplish this. The sounds of Ollie’s struggle subsided quickly, and the little boy sprang from around the corner into view of Elio and Oliver as if to startle them. When they only smiled at him, he was clearly disappointed. “Weren’t you terrified?” he asked. 

“Terrified of what?” Elio wanted to know. 

Tiny creases appeared on the bridge of Ollie’s adorable little nose. “Of ME, silly. I just jumped in here out of nowhere!!” 

Elio covered his mouth with his hand, trying his best not to laugh. 

Oliver simply placed a hand on top of Ollie’s head and suggested, “Next time, say ‘BOO.’ That will probably help.” 

Ollie brought the heel of his hand to his forehead. “Uggggh! I forgot to say BOO!!! I hate when I forget that part!” he complained. 

“There’s always next time,” Elio offered after having regained his composure. 

Ollie nodded his agreement. “Did you miss me?” he asked next. 

“Yes, of course we did.” 

Ollie’s eyes danced merrily at this. “How much?” he wanted to know. 

“How much what?” Elio asked. Sometimes talking to Ollie was a little bit like trying to talk to a mosquito. 

“How much did you  _ miss me?” _ he asked, put out. 

Oliver was prepared with the correct answer and managed to blurt it out before Elio could. “We missed you super, duper much.” 

Elio’s eyes darted toward Oliver, narrowed into a huffy frown, and then returned to his little brother. “Super, duper,” he agreed. “Did you miss  _ us?” _ Elio asked in return. 

Ollie shrugged. “A little.”

Elio grabbed Ollie and swung him around the living room lightly before tumbling onto the sofa and pulling his little brother with him. “A little?? Only a little?” they both laughed. 

Ollie shrugged again, but his entire face was nothing but one huge, bright smile. 

“He was having too much fun to miss us more than that,” Oliver teased. 

But it was true. Ollie had finally made a great friend, and they had been playing at one another’s houses for an hour each day after checking in with their families. Joey came to Ollie’s house the first day, and then Ollie went to hers the following day. They had alternated in that way for nearly two weeks now, and it was going well. It brought Elio and Oliver so much joy to see how happy Ollie was. Each night at dinner, he delivered a play-by-play of his and Joey’s adventures, both at school and at home. The little family couldn’t be more delighted. 

The afternoons were Oliver’s, but the morning routine was all Elio. This was the time for his over-protectiveness to shine. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth!” Elio called toward the bathroom while dressing in his own room. 

“Check!” came Ollie’s little voice wafting down the hallway. 

After dressing, Elio went to check on Ollie’s teeth. He didn’t do this every time Ollie brushed his teeth, but from time to time he inspected to make sure he was doing a proper job with his oral hygiene. Ollie had never had a cavity, and Elio didn’t want the first cavity to happen on his watch. When he walked into the bathroom, though, he found Ollie holding his toothbrush up, giving it a rather stern look. 

“What’s up?” Elio asked. 

“This toothpaste is weird,” Ollie complained. 

Elio gave Ollie’s toothbrush a quizzical look. The toothpaste  _ did _ look a bit weird. 

“Huh. It’s the same kind we always use,” Elio said.

“Nuh-uh,” Ollie disagreed. 

“Yuh-huh,” Elio playfully argued. He was confident in this, because he was the one who did the shopping most recently. 

But then Ollie was waving a small tube in his face. Elio took it and gave it a scrutinizing look. “Where did you get this, Ollie?” he asked. 

“Joey’s brother gave me and Joey each one. He said it’s special toothpaste that makes your teeth extra white. But, it doesn’t foam like our normal one.” 

Elio’s brows snapped together, a crease forming between them. It was a face Ollie was familiar with. “Am I in trouble?” he asked. 

Elio shook his head briefly as if his face were an Etch A Sketch. After erasing the anger from his features, he smiled at Ollie and pulled him into a side hug. “No, of course not, Ollie. Sorry.” He leaned down and kissed the top of the little boy’s head. Ollie groaned and rubbed the place on his head. This was new behavior, and while Elio knew Ollie would grow up, it still made him incredibly sad. He didn’t let on, though. That would make it feel even sadder somehow, though Elio wasn’t sure why that was so. 

“Ollie, I’m going to keep this. Use the normal toothpaste,” Elio said. Ollie looked for a moment as if he’d argue, but then reconsidered and nodded his agreement. 

~~~~~~~~

“Elio, calm down…” Oliver spoke into his phone. As soon as he finished teaching his first class of the day, he glanced at his phone to see he had missed three calls from Elio, along with several texts, all saying only, “call me.” He had called immediately. Based on the number of missed calls and texts, he deduced that all wasn’t well, but he did not expect Elio to be as livid as he was. “Elio… you’re not making sense… should I come home?” 

“I’m not making sense because it doesn’t make sense!” Elio growled into the phone. 

Oliver sighed. “Okay, tell me again what happened.”

“There’s nothing more to tell, Oliver. He was brushing his teeth with  _ Clearasil _ !”

Oliver nodded, though of course no one could see it. “Right. And he got it from Joey’s brother?” 

“Yes!” 

“And you’re sure he told Ollie it was toothpaste?” Oliver asked.

Elio groaned impatiently. “That’s what Ollie says.” 

There was a long pause before Oliver spoke again, “Elio, remember that her brother is only twelve. Twelve-year-olds do really dumb things. I’m sure he didn’t have any ill-intentions.” 

“Are you kidding me?! He could have poisoned him!” Elio shouted. 

Oliver’s response was instant this time, “Calm down. I’m coming home. Don’t do anything until I get there.” 

Once home, Oliver managed to help Elio gain some composure. “Listen, I understand that you’re upset. I’m upset, too. I’m not saying we should do nothing. All I’m saying is that we should proceed with caution. This friendship means a lot to Ollie. This is the first kid who has really been nice to Ollie, and they have fun together.” 

“I’m not saying he can’t be friends with Joey. I’m talking about her brother.” 

“But Elio, family members are connected to one another. If you go over and vent your anger about the brother, the parents might put the brakes on the entire thing.” 

Oliver wrapped both arms around Elio then, pulling him close. “Let me talk with Ollie, okay?” he proposed, and Elio nodded feebly. 

That night at dinner, Oliver brought up the subject with Ollie. He tried to keep the tone casual, but Elio was so tense, it was nearly impossible. 

“What’s Clearasil?” Ollie wanted to know. Oliver had already explained it, but he was willing to try again. 

“It’s a cream to put on your face. You’re too young to worry about it right now, but you just need to believe me, it is not toothpaste and is not meant to be put in your mouth at all. Never. Do you understand?” Oliver asked. 

“Yeah, but Elio has it so I can’t anyway,” Ollie pointed out. 

Oliver pressed his fingers into the tense muscles of his shoulders. “Right. I realize that, Ollie. I guess what I’m saying is that we don’t want you to take things from Joey’s brother anymore. He apparently likes to play pranks, and we don’t want you to be pranked.” 

“What are pranks?” Ollie asked. He was looking worried. 

Oliver smiled reassuringly. “You know when you tried to jump out and scare us yesterday?” 

Ollie nodded. 

“That was like a little prank. When you prank someone, though, you have to think about whether the other person will also find it funny. Would Elio and I think it was funny if you scared us?” Oliver continued. 

Ollie hesitated, thinking hard. “I think so.”

Oliver nodded his confirmation. “Right. So that would be a prank that would be okay. But giving someone something that isn’t safe to consume and then telling them it is toothpaste… do you think that’s a good prank?” 

Ollie shook his head adamantly. “No. Because it’s not funny to me.” He was beginning to understand. 

“Right. It’s also not safe. So for now, we don’t want you to take things from Joey’s brother.” 

“Okay,” Ollie agreed. 

Elio and Oliver observed Ollie for a moment. He was looking somewhat woebegone. 

“Are you okay? Do you have a question?” Oliver asked. 

“Kinda,” Ollie answered. “I just don’t understand why Joey’s brother would do a mean prank like that to her. To me maybe, but why to her?” 

Elio cut in, because he’d been wondering the same thing. “Because he wanted to play a mean prank on her and her friend.” 

Ollie looked even more befuddled. “That’s her  _ big brother, _ though. Big brothers are supposed to protect you, not be mean to you.” 

Oliver looked at the two of them, and his heart melted a little. He reached over and held Elio’s hand, and smiled as he said, “Ollie, not everyone’s big brother is as wonderful as yours. You’re pretty lucky.” 

Ollie grinned. “Yeah. I know.” And he did. 

  
  



End file.
